Leading retailer H&M has apologised for any offence caused after it released a line of men’s scarves that closely resembled a Jewish prayer shawl.

Images of the men’s scarf – priced at £12.99 – were widely circulated on social media.

But while the bulk of posts took the resemblance to a tallit in a light-hearted way; a spokesperson for the chain apologised for any upset it may have caused.

A spokesperson said: "We are truly sorry if we have offended anyone with this piece. Everyone is welcome at H&M and we never take a religious or political stand.

"Stripes are one of the trends for this season and something we were inspired by. Our intention was never to upset anyone."

The garment - which was described as a light beige “scarf in soft fabric with woven stripes and fringes on the short sides” - was still on sale on Friday afternoon.

Writing on a pro-Israel group’s Facebook page, shopper Cheryl Hecker wrote: “I like it - stylish and observant at the same time.”

Angie Morland added: “I like it. It’s better than some of the designs we’ve seen over the past few seasons. I wonder how many BDS [activists] will buy and wear it without realising what it’s copying!”

H&M, which has around 3,000 stores across more than 50 countries, was forced to remove a men’s top that featured a skull at the centre of a large Star of David in 2014.